Joe Smith signs with the Hawks

[HMFFL]

I don't think he makes them good enough to really get better as a team, when they already had Shelden Williams and Lorenzen Wright before and those guys weren't good enough. Smith might be a little better than those guys, as I said in my first post, but I don't think he's that much better.

Very few options available for us and Rick Sund felt it was best to sign a veteran over a younger raw player that still needs to develop. I feel confident Joe will serve his purpose.

Joe Smith was a really stupid player to get when Stromile Swift is still out there and hungry for a chance to actually play and make a team better. The good side of it is that Joe Smith is a pretty safe choice, so as long as everyone stays healthy the Hawks should be at least as good as they were last year, when the closest they came to actually beating Cleveland was losing by 10.

Is Swift really hungry? Because I'm convinced all he cares about is having a check to cash. Swift is reckless, has a low basketball IQ, and won't help our chemistry.

Joe Smith is scraps from Cleveland's table.... they let him go and added Shaquille O'Neal

Cleveland offered him a contract and he declined due to the lack of playing time. If he had signed with them I would think it decreases his options after the season. With us he has potentially opened more doors for himself or to sign back with us for another year after the season depending on his numbers/presence.

The Magic also exchanged Hedo Turkoglu for Vince Carter....

The Hawks got Joe Smith.....

Good for them. Will Phoenix even make the playoffs this year? That is your team, right? Channing Frye should be a nice upgrade over Shaq.

Overall, we are a better team, and we have added depth. It just so happens that the Southeast has become stronger, but staying healthy is my biggest concern, and it would be nice to be closer to 100% going into the playoffs. Injuries just happened to be one of the main reasons why Cleveland beat us, but you failed to mention that.

[rag-time4]

Joe Smith was a really stupid player to get when Stromile Swift is still out there and hungry for a chance to actually play and make a team better. The good side of it is that Joe Smith is a pretty safe choice, so as long as everyone stays healthy the Hawks should be at least as good as they were last year, when the closest they came to actually beating Cleveland was losing by 10.

Is Swift really hungry? Because I'm convinced all he cares about is having a check to cash. Swift is reckless, has a low basketball IQ, and won't help our chemistry.

If Stromile wasn't hungry, why did he take a mid-level exception contract in an attempt to win with Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady? He took less money from Houston because he was hungry to join a winner.

What is your basis for saying that Stromile Swift has a low basketball IQ?

He would be great for chemistry if he played. He'll provide what the Hawks need most - defensive presence from the front court - that they won't get from Joe Smith or Zaza, their current backups. I would agree that Swift is more risky for the chemistry than Smith, that's for sure, but that's because Swift is a better player with more ambition than Joe Smith, who was mediocre as a rookie and has remained mediocre his entire career.

The Magic also exchanged Hedo Turkoglu for Vince Carter....

The Hawks got Joe Smith.....

Good for them. Will Phoenix even make the playoffs this year? That is your team, right? Channing Frye should be a nice upgrade over Shaq.

Overall, we are a better team, and we have added depth. It just so happens that the Southeast has become stronger, but staying healthy is my biggest concern, and it would be nice to be closer to 100% going into the playoffs. Injuries just happened to be one of the main reasons why Cleveland beat us, but you failed to mention that.

Phoenix probably won't make the playoffs if they don't upgrade their defense. I thought Frye was an absolutely horrible signing, unless they plan on playing him less than 15 mpg. His anemic 0.5 blocks per game is evidence of his soft defense in the paint

Stromile has said he would like to re sign with Phoenix but it remains to be seen. Steve Nash did not seem to get along well with him and treated him with little respect on the court last season.

I am curious though, why do you think that Stromile Swift has a low basketball IQ? How do you define basketball IQ and what have you seen from Stromile to say that his is low?

[HMFFL]

rag-time4, by observing is how I ended up coming to the conclusion that he has a low basketball IQ. It's simply a personal opinion, some will disagree like you, but you seem to be one of his biggest supporters. There is a reason why he is a free agent and only viewed as a filler. As talented as he is there are less talented and raw players in free agency that will be signed before him.

Not really understanding why you're linking me to him hitting a 3-pointer when he's only made two of them throughout his career. Also linking him with Houston who he played with six(?) seasons ago.

[HMFFL]

- He knows his role. One thing Rick Sund talks about in discussing the success of last year was the Hawks’ roster being more accepting of their roles than in the past. With minutes scarce, you want to know that anyone you bring in isn’t going to start chafing about playing time and potentially cause chemistry issues in the locker room. Joe Smith knows that at this stage in his career he is not going to be asked to log 30+ minutes every night, and at the risk of speaking for him, I daresay I think he’s ok with that.

- He’s versatile. Hey, you can’t be a Hawk if you can’t play multiple positions, right? At 6-10, Smith is capable of filling in at both the center and power forward spots, and I imagine he’ll end up having to play some of both as the season progresses. You’d love to think that everyone on the team will be available for 82 games, but it’s unlikely. Injuries aside, Joe will fit right in with the Hawks big men and allow Coach Woodson to consider a multitude of frontcourt combinations.

- He’s a veteran. Though the Hawks have been to the postseason the past two years, they still have a bit of the reputation of youth – that is to say, their confidence seems to wax and wane at times during the season and they struggle to maintain intensity. Joe Smith has been in the league 14 years, and he’s played on some pretty good teams in that span. I feel confident that his presence in the locker room will come in handy several times over the course of the 82 games (and more?) to come. Link

Joe Smith talks about joining the Hawks. Audio

[rag-time4]

rag-time4, by observing is how I ended up coming to the conclusion that he has a low basketball IQ. It's simply a personal opinion, some will disagree like you, but you seem to be one of his biggest supporters. There is a reason why he is a free agent and only viewed as a filler. As talented as he is there are less talented and raw players in free agency that will be signed before him.

Not really understanding why you're linking me to him hitting a 3-pointer when he's only made two of them throughout his career. Also linking him with Houston who he played with six(?) seasons ago.

What did you observe from Stromile that led you to the conclusion that Stromile has a low basketball IQ, and how would you define basketball IQ?

I linked to that three pointer because you can see during that play that Steve Nash is absolutely adamant about not passing the ball to Stromile Swift in the low post vs the smaller Travis Outlaw, but rather to Grant Hill in the mid range area who had Steve Blake on him, with Outlaw in position to double team.

Shaquille O'Neal seemed very hesitant in getting the ball to Hill, but Nash was adamant not to rotate the ball around to Swift, who is a good low post player, particularly when defended by an opposing SF.

I mentioned the Rockets, because thus far it was the ONLY time he ever signed a long term contract, and he took below market value because he was interested in joining a winner, not in simply getting a paycheck. He took less money for a chance at winning.

Btw, your point about the Hawks injuries is well taken and shows my ignorance there. However, given that Cleveland swapped Joe Smith for Shaquille Oneal in their lineup, Joe Smith is an incredibly conservative and underwhelming choice

[HMFFL]

Joe Smith brings calmness and maturity to young Hawks

If Joe Smith can somehow summon the best out of Josh Smith, the Hawks then become even more of a threat.

There's scoring and versatility in the Hawks backcourt and wing positions with the likes of Mike Bibby, Jamal Crawford, Maurice Evans, Joe Johnson and Marvin Williams.

"I'm excited about being that voice and helping transform all this talent into a consistent winner," Smith told the Atlanta-Journal Constitution.

Until Smith's arrival, there was this leadership void in Atlanta.

His many stops in the NBA have taught Smith lessons that are best taught through experience.

"I understand what it takes to be successful and consistent in this league,'' he said.

"The main thing right now for this team is putting together some consistent basketball for as much of the 82 games of the season as we can. The more consistent we can be, the better we can be." Link

[TONEGULLY]

Now all we need is JOSH to play like i play him in 2k9. In and around the paint shoot around 50 percent and stop shooting threes and we are going places.
Oh yeah Woody to stop running JJ to the ground and some offensive plays..lol